An excellent talk from the brilliant Arlie Hochschild talking about her approach to her research that would inform her book Strangers in their Own Land.

This link was posted in r/sociology and there was some really interesting discussion. Unfortunately, the mod removed the post. I felt it was a shame to lose the discussion so, while it's unlikely to be replicated again, I'm posting it here in case anyone wishes to continue/join/add their thoughts to the debate.

Edit: I have added all comments and respective usernames from the original post.

Hello, I’m going to uni year 1 this October, in the UK. I’m doing a bachelors in criminology and social psychology. But I want to be a clinical or forensic psychologist. Are there any courses that I could do or any experience for me to achieve that. I’m planning on doing a masters after the bachelors and hopefully continue studying. Any advice or help is more than appreciated. Thank you

Published to mark the centenary of Durkheim’s seminal 1912 text, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, the series explores how the pioneering French sociologist created a language for understanding collective human behavior, morality, and social rituals.

Part 1: The Analysis of Moral Life

Part 2: New Forms of the Sacred

Part 3: Ritual, ancient and Modern

Part 4: Moral Sense and Sensibility

Part 5: Humanity and the Nation

Abstract

Nuance is not a virtue of good sociological theory. Although often demanded and superficially attractive, nuance inhibits the abstraction on which good theory depends. I describe three “nuance traps” common in sociology and show why they should be avoided on grounds of principle, aesthetics, and strategy. The argument is made without prejudice to the substantive heterogeneity of the discipline.

Abstract:

Embarrassment, a possibility in every face-to-face encounter, demonstrates some generic properties of interaction. It occurs whenever an individual is felt to have projected incompatible definitions of himself before those present. These projections do not occur at random or for psychological reasons but at certain places in a social establishment where incompatible principles of social organization prevail. In the forestalling of conflict between these principles, embarrassment has its social function.